Pediatricians are tackling an epidemic: Child illiteracy

Building on the momentum of National Book Month, which ends today, it is time to make 2013 the year we finally address the epidemic of illiteracy in America.

One in four children grow up without learning how to read. More than one-third of fourth-graders are unable to complete schoolwork successfully because they struggle with reading.

Unfortunately, the effects of illiteracy extend well beyond school. Illiteracy affects the life trajectory of our youth in complex ways. Two-thirds of the children who cannot read proficiently by the end of fourth grade end up either behind bars or dependent on social programs.

The estimated cost of illiteracy is $73 million per year in direct health-care costs, and the indirect cost to society in lost productivity is immeasurable.

As a community pediatrician, I see the effects of illiteracy on my patients and their families every day. It pervades most aspects of their lives: They act out in school or at work to compensate for insecurity from being unable to read; they have an unstable financial well-being because they dropped out of school or cannot maintain a job; and they have difficulty navigating a complex health-care system, comprehending medication instructions and understanding the lifestyle modifications I prescribe.

Fortunately, we also know that children who are read to regularly are more likely to know their alphabet, count higher, write their own names and read themselves.

A mere 15 minutes of independent reading per day can expose school-age students to more than a million words of text in a year. This exposure to the written word is instrumental during early childhood because, as the child's brain develops, literature has a far greater capacity than conversational language to teach a large diversity of words.

Indeed, children who are read to every day are exposed to two to three times as many different words and score significantly higher on reading-comprehension exams.

This year, the trainee section of the American Academy of Pediatrics is sponsoring a nationwide push to improve child literacy called "Read, Lead, Succeed!" Don't be surprised if your child's pediatrician offers him a book at his next well-child check. A volunteer may ask your child if she wants to read a book together in the waiting room at the doctor's office.

Keep an eye out for medical students and pediatric residents orchestrating book drives for your local Reach Out and Read program.

All of these efforts are driven by a renewed sense of urgency among pediatricians to invest in the education of the next generation. In a sagging U.S. economy and with a gradual relative decline in global competitiveness, now more than ever it is important to nurture childhood literacy skills. The ability to read and write is one of the most important gifts a parent can give to a child.

For the nearly one in four children living in poverty in the U.S., the biggest obstacle to literacy is the scarcity of books and appropriate reading materials. To that end, consider hosting a book drive of your own for Reach Out and Read or any other organization promoting literacy in your community. Partner with your schools and day-cares, with your community libraries and your churches, to brainstorm ways you can positively impact the literacy of the children in your life.

Help the 44 million American adults who are unable to read simple stories to their children because of minimal literacy skills. Encourage them to demonstrate to their children the importance of learning to read by coaching them to do so themselves.

Write to your representatives in Congress to tell them to support the reintroduction and passage of the Prescribe a Book Act, as well as support the child health and literacy initiatives in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

But one of the most important things you can do is also one of the simplest: Take time to read to your child before bed each night. Five minutes of storytelling will help shape a lifetime of literacy.

Markus Renno is a pediatrician in Gainesville and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Medical Students, Residents and Fellowship Trainees.